Press Release

Media Contact: media@buysafeamerica.org 
  

Premier Inc. Joins Coalition to Combat the Sale of Stolen and Counterfeit Goods

Premier Inc. Joins Buy Safe America Coalition in Effort to Bring Added Transparency and Accountability to Online Marketplaces

 
Washington, DC – Today the  Buy Safe America Coalition, a diverse group of retailers, consumer groups, wholesaler-distributors and manufacturers that support efforts to combat organized retail crime and protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods, announced Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company whose online marketplace stockd® offers reliable access to essential products for healthcare providers, as a new member.
 
“Healthcare providers are working around the clock to care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last thing they need to worry about is whether their products are reliable, safe and legitimate,” said Andy Brailo, Chief Customer Officer of Premier. “Premier is committed to ensuring that our global supply chain is protected and that our frontline healthcare workers – and patients – are not put in harm’s way.”
 
During the pandemic, Premier has vetted thousands of gray market solicitations on behalf of its members, finding that fewer than 10 percent of offers are legitimate and reporting hundreds of illegitimate sellers to the authorities. Throughout COVID-19, stockd has maintained strong buyer protections, fair pricing and reputability for all sellers and their products. Via stringent vetting policies, robust security settings and full transparency on product attributes and authentication, stockd ensures that buyers are purchasing from trusted, verified manufacturers and distributors – not third-party sellers who may price gouge or make suspect product claims based on market demand.
 
The sale of counterfeit and stolen products on marketplace platforms has grown worse as Americans increasingly shop online. Criminals have exploited the lack of verification processes on third-party marketplaces and are selling fake healthcare products like N95 masks to consumers and even healthcare professionals. In an April 2020 member survey, 60 percent of hospitals told Premier they had received a gray market product solicitation.
 
“Premier is proud of these vigorous processes and to be joining the Buy Safe America Coalition,” said Brailo. “We believe consumers should feel confident that they are purchasing safe, efficacious products from legitimate manufacturers and sellers when navigating any online marketplace for medical or other consumer products.”
 
Premier joins the coalition amid growing support across industry, consumer groups and policymakers to ensure the online products customers and organizations depend on are authentic and safe. Last month, the INFORM Consumers Act was introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) recently signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation. The bill would modernize consumer protection laws and require online marketplaces to collect and verify basic business information from sellers, in addition to requiring high-volume sellers to provide contact information to consumers.
 
Visit  BuySafeAmerica.org  for more information about the growing problem of stolen and counterfeit goods and solutions to better protect consumers and businesses.
 

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 The Buy Safe America Coalition represents a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.